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Camp 40 on Bitter Creek Idaho Teritory
August 2d 1864
Dearest Jennie
It is a long time since I have recvd a letter from home. I wrote you last week when we were out of grub. Soon after my team came in from salt Lake with a supply and a more welcome messenger could not have made his appearance after receiving our supply of food I started the line from hams fork crossed over to green river thence acrost the country without wood or water twenty miles which took three days and all the water used was loaded from the river at the springs which I named Providence sprgs we rested one half day and then resumed line for this place where I shall connect with the line as run by Mr Evans and return to mouth of Weber canon and run line from there to salt Lake City where I hope to arrive in about three weeks. The country I have been in the last month is almost a baren desert no timber or vegetation excepting on the banks of the stream, occasionally there is a few patches of grease wood or wild sage brush but generally the whole country presents a most desolate appearance. The mountain sides are composed of white or gray [sleety?] sand stone on which no vegetation relievs the baren desolate view, the water in the stream is nearly all poisoned with alkali and other mineral solution and only at long distances [?] pure water or any that drinkable

Camp 40 on Bitter Creek Idaho Teritory
August 2d 1864
Dearest Jennie
It is a long time since I have recvd a letter from home. I wrote you last week when we were out of grub. Soon after my team came in from salt Lake with a supply and a more welcome messenger could not have made his appearance after receiving our supply of food I started the line from hams fork crossed over to green river thence acrost the country without wood or water twenty miles which took three days and all the water used was loaded from the river at the springs which I named Providence sprgs we rested one half day and then resumed line for this place where I shall connect with the line as run by Mr Evans and return to mouth of Weber canon and run line from there to salt Lake City where I hope to arrive in about three weeks. The country I have been in the last month is almost a baren desert no timber or vegetation excepting on the banks of the stream, occasionally there is a few patches of grease wood or wild sage brush but generally the whole country presents a most desolate appearance. The mountain sides are composed of white or gray [sleety?] sand stone on which no vegetation relievs the baren desolate view, the water in the stream is nearly all poisoned with alkali and other mineral solution and only at long distances [?] pure water or any that drinkable